# 2025 Preliminary Pennsylvania resident death counts

This ZIP file contains CSV files of 2025 preliminary Pennsylvania resident death counts
by selected variables. Pennsylvania resident deaths are deaths among Pennsylvania
residents regardless of where the death occurred. They can happen either within or
outside Pennsylvania.

The preliminary data is as of May 18, 2026, and is subject to change. The CSV files
show counts through December 31, 2025.

## Files

The ZIP file contains the following files:

- README.txt (this file)
- preliminary-month-2025.csv
- preliminary-month-age-2025.csv
- preliminary-month-county-2025.csv
- preliminary-month-hispanic-2025.csv
- preliminary-month-mcd-2025.csv
- preliminary-month-sex-2025.csv

## Content

Each of the CSV files share the following common columns:

| Column      | Definition      |
|-------------|-----------------|
| year        | Year of death   |
| month       | Month of death  |
| count       | Count of deaths |

In addition, most of the CSV files also contain one or more additional columns. These
columns are described below:

| Column      | Definition                           |
|-------------|--------------------------------------|
| age         | Age in years                         |
| county_fips | County of residence, FIPS code       |
| county_name | County of residence, name            |
| hispanic    | Hispanic origin                      |
| mcd_fips    | Municipality of residence, FIPS code |
| mcd_name    | Municipality of residence, name      |
| sex         | Sex                                  |

## Data notes

Missing or unknown data is indicated by a blank cell ("").

## Data source

Pennsylvania Death Certificate Dataset.

## Notes on release levels

A "Release Level" is a designation indicating the maturity and finality of a dataset at
the time of release. Release levels are a type of metadata assigned to all data assets
managed by the agency.

All release levels may refer to either aggregate or record-level datasets and datasets
shared internal to the agency or external (i.e., to the public). All reports or data
products produced by the Agency (versus live feeds) are a static snapshot of the data at
a specific date and time when produced. It is recommended to always reference the "last
updated" date.

Preliminary Release Level
Description: Data is raw, incomplete, and has undergone minimal validation. Shared for
operational awareness only.
Validation: Basic error-checks by source programs.
Updates: Yes - updates allowed
Important Note About This Data:
This data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health is preliminary or provisional. That
means it is still being reviewed and could change. It is shared now to help people make
timely decisions during public health events or emergencies. Be careful when using this
information to make important decisions. It has not been fully reviewed or approved yet.
The Department of Health and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are not responsible for
any problems caused by how this data is used—either with or without permission. Any
conclusions or analyses made using this data are your own. If you have questions about
this data or how to use it, please contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Provisional Release Level
Description: Data is partially complete and has undergone validation for correctness and
completeness.
Validation: Full validation by content and analysis teams.
Updates: Limited
Important Note About This Data:
This data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health is preliminary or provisional. That
means it is still being reviewed and could change. It is shared now to help people make
timely decisions during public health events or emergencies. Be careful when using this
information to make important decisions. It has not been fully reviewed or approved yet.
The Department of Health and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are not responsible for
any problems caused by how this data is used—either with or without permission. Any
conclusions or analyses made using this data are your own. If you have questions about
this data or how to use it, please contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Final Release Level
Description: Data is fully validated, static, and not subject to revision.
Validation: Validation and quality assurance complete.
Updates: No
Important Note About This Data: This data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health is
final, meaning it has been reviewed and approved. However, it still shows a snapshot of
information at a specific point in time. Always check the "last updated" date to see how
current the data is. Use caution when making decisions based on this data, especially if
they involve public safety or important business matters. The Department of Health and
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are not responsible for any problems caused by how this
data is used. Any conclusions or interpretations made using this data are your own. If
you have questions about this data or how to use it, please contact the Pennsylvania
Department of Health.

Contact
For general assistance with release level assignment, contact the Office of Health
Informatics governance team at RA-DHDMIMAILBOX@pa.gov. For assistance with understanding
the dataset in terms of release levels definitions, please contact the individual data
set owner.
